Kissick Family Foundation | Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) Grant Program 2026–2027
Event details
| Date | 04.11.2026 |
| Category | Call for proposal |
Aim: This call for proposals solicits basic or early-stage translational research addressing the fundamental aetiologies and mechanisms of sporadic FTD. For this RFP, sporadic FTD is defined as FTD that develops without an identified known causal gene mutation. Projects must have clear relevance to sporadic FTD; studies using GRN, MAPT, or C9orf72 models must explain how their findings will inform sporadic FTD beyond known genetic causes.
The program will fund its fourth annual cohort and seeks bold, rigorous, collaborative, and catalytic projects that broaden foundational knowledge of FTD and spur diagnostic and therapeutic advances. Responsive topics include basic biology; computational, AI, and data-driven approaches; biomarker discovery and validation; neuroimaging; proteinopathies; neuroinflammation and non-neuronal cells; environmental factors; novel risk factors and disease pathways; and innovative experimental models. Investigators from outside traditional FTD research fields are encouraged to apply, provided the team includes sufficient expertise in FTD biology.
Duration: 2 years
Funding: up to $500,000
Eligibility: Applicants can be based at eligible nonprofit academic or research institutions worldwide, including public or private universities and related research institutions; certain governmental agencies with active biomedical research programs may also apply. The PI must hold a PhD, MD, or related research doctorate and be an independent investigator as defined by the host institution. Early-career and newly independent investigators are strongly encouraged. Multidisciplinary collaborations are welcome, but one corresponding PI and one submitting institution must be designated. Institutions may submit multiple proposals, provided each is led by a different PI. Current Kissick Family Foundation FTD grantees may not apply as PIs or co-investigators.
How to Apply: Applicants must first submit a letter of intent through the SPARC online grant portal. LOIs can be maximum 750 words and should include the project title and PI name, indicate the scientific priority area, and present a succinct description of the proposed research approach. LOIs must be single-spaced, use a legible font of at least 11 points, and have one-inch margins.. Projects that are in scope and that propose rigorous, innovative research studies with significant potential to further our understanding of sporadic FTD may be invited to submit a full proposal; notifications will be sent around mid-December. Full proposals would be due in February and require an institutional letter of commitment; for this letter, please contact the Research Office. Eventual awardees may be notified as early as June 2027.
Deadline, Letter of Intent: 04 November 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET
Further information
The program will fund its fourth annual cohort and seeks bold, rigorous, collaborative, and catalytic projects that broaden foundational knowledge of FTD and spur diagnostic and therapeutic advances. Responsive topics include basic biology; computational, AI, and data-driven approaches; biomarker discovery and validation; neuroimaging; proteinopathies; neuroinflammation and non-neuronal cells; environmental factors; novel risk factors and disease pathways; and innovative experimental models. Investigators from outside traditional FTD research fields are encouraged to apply, provided the team includes sufficient expertise in FTD biology.
Duration: 2 years
Funding: up to $500,000
Eligibility: Applicants can be based at eligible nonprofit academic or research institutions worldwide, including public or private universities and related research institutions; certain governmental agencies with active biomedical research programs may also apply. The PI must hold a PhD, MD, or related research doctorate and be an independent investigator as defined by the host institution. Early-career and newly independent investigators are strongly encouraged. Multidisciplinary collaborations are welcome, but one corresponding PI and one submitting institution must be designated. Institutions may submit multiple proposals, provided each is led by a different PI. Current Kissick Family Foundation FTD grantees may not apply as PIs or co-investigators.
How to Apply: Applicants must first submit a letter of intent through the SPARC online grant portal. LOIs can be maximum 750 words and should include the project title and PI name, indicate the scientific priority area, and present a succinct description of the proposed research approach. LOIs must be single-spaced, use a legible font of at least 11 points, and have one-inch margins.. Projects that are in scope and that propose rigorous, innovative research studies with significant potential to further our understanding of sporadic FTD may be invited to submit a full proposal; notifications will be sent around mid-December. Full proposals would be due in February and require an institutional letter of commitment; for this letter, please contact the Research Office. Eventual awardees may be notified as early as June 2027.
Deadline, Letter of Intent: 04 November 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET
Further information
- An online information session will be held on 13 October 2026 at 17:00 Swiss time; registration is required.
- More information about the call is available here
- The online portal can be found here
Practical information
- General public
- Free